California Welfare and Institutions Code Section 366.26(c)(1)(E)

Welfare and Institutions Code Section 366.26(c)(1)(E) provides for an exception to termination of parental rights when: "There would be substantial interference with a child's sibling relationship, taking into consideration the nature and extent of the relationship, including, but not limited to, whether the child was raised with a sibling in the same home, whether the child shared significant common experiences or has existing close and strong bonds with a sibling, and whether ongoing contact is in the child's best interest, including the child's long-term emotional interest, as compared to the benefit of legal permanence through adoption." ( 366.26(c)(1)(E).) In In re L. Y. L. (2002) 101 Cal.App.4th 942, the court construed the statute to require the very two-step process used by the juvenile court below. "Under Welfare and Institutions Code section 366.26(c)(1)(E), the court is directed first to determine whether terminating parental rights would substantially interfere with the sibling relationship by evaluating the nature and extent of the relationship, including whether the child and sibling were raised in the same house, shared significant common experiences or have existing close and strong bonds. If the court determines terminating parental rights would substantially interfere with the sibling relationship, the court is then directed to weigh the child's best interest in continuing that sibling relationship against the benefit the child would receive by the permanency of adoption. " (L. Y. L., supra, 101 Cal.App.4th at pp. 951-952.)